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Reenie

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Hi Beth, Glad you are "honoring your body" -- as one of my yoga teacher's says. Recently a friend gave me some turmeric root that she grows in her garden. I looked online for what to do with it and found a utube showing how to make turmeric root-ginger root tea. Grate a little bit of each root, place in a wire mesh strainer (the size that fits on top of a ceramic coffee cup) and pour boiling (or near to boiling water) over the grated herbs. I use a small glass lid to help steep this healing tea for 3-5 min. Both ginger and turmeric are found to fight cancer, and both are anti-inflammatory, as well as helpful for some digestive issues. Both herbs probably have other benefits as well. Someone told me there's a limit to how much turmeric one should take per day. I haven't looked that up yet. I usually drink 1 cup of this tea each day, usually when there's not too much food in my stomach. I tried it with the turmeric powder instead of the root, and ginger root and it was good as well. Freshly grated herb roots, yum! I add about 1/2 tsp of local tupelo honey to my cup of tea. Wishing you much success in losing weight and getting wonderfully fit!~

One thing I've suspected is that people like to be creators. To have a hand in the creation of the idea, the trend, the action, the product. Remembering back as kids, say ages 7 to 11, how empowering it was to organize a game, or to draw something, or write a poem, or bring in a certain item in lunch that no one else had. When others imitated, you felt good, and perhaps wanted to bring it back to you, do more creating.

When I have workshops on green cleaning, the participants make a couple of their own products to take home and try. Not always, but sometimes, the spark is lit then, because people will tell me later if they see me, "you should see our cleaners on the counter, and we even designed our own labels for them". This type of thing happens, I am hypothesizing, because they feel they are the creators.

Recently I gave a coconut oil workshop. I demonstrated making 2 recipes: a candy, and a deodorant, that uses coconut oil along with other ingredients. And everyone made their own toothpaste to take home and try. They had 2 organic, food grade essential oils to choose from to flavor their toothpaste. During the evening, I heard several people talking about ways to modify the recipes, to their liking. Everyone had one piece of candy, even then, they were talking about ways to fill it with a dried fruit, or peanut butter, something to make it theirs.

When people are making their cleaners, they are like kids in art class, excited, focused, chatting, however they approach their act of creation.

Yet for those who, say, change to green cleaning, or making their own toothpaste, after a workshop, I know that most have not. They'll still buy whatever cleaners are offered, tho maybe greener ones. Perhaps only a few are empowered with the idea that they can create a different bunch of actions to support green, healthy living for us and the Earth. I have often wondered about your questions, how does one make a change from say, a yummy but not so good for you toothpaste, to one that's blander but better. I wonder if it has to do with what they call an integrated person--one whose physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves can unite and offer support for some of the changes you are trying to make in your life. Or, if it's an abundance of chi or prana, universal life force, that backs you up. The force must be steady and present enough to support a genuine change. Really I'm just guessing about these things.

I love using foods and oils for skin care. A portion one of my favorite foods, avocado, is set aside for an amazing, nourishing facial. My cat also gets a small bit of the avocado in her bowl which she gobbles up. Her solid grey fur body, dull when rescued, is now luminescent. Sesame oil is my preferred oil for daily skin care. I can purchase a small glass jar of it, but there is a plastic cap, and then put a little oil in a shallow bowl and add a couple drops of an essential oil like lavender. A couple times a week, after a shower, my body is rubbed with a thin layer of organic sesame oil, and sometimes it seems like my skin is actually eating the oil as it is being absorbed.

I used to use henna,but the more grey my hair turned, the more it seemed I needed to treat my hair. So I stopped using it. But I loved it. I added a little Braggs AC vinegar and olive oil to the henna paste, 1-2 tbsp. of each, and my hair felt and looked very healthy and shiny. Also I mixed various henna colors, 3 different colors actually, to come up with a custom color that wasn't a one flat color. It worked well. I had a pile of towels set aside specifically for doing henna, because it easily stained our counter which wasn't tiled but some sort of white laminate. And I wrapped an old cotton bandana around my head.

Wonderful explanation! In my work I go into my clients' homes and point out changes they can make to create a healthier indoor living environment. I've mentioned your site many times. What I understand from reading a paper by the Endocrine Society is just what nonurdles said, timing is so important. During pregnancy,researchers see that when mother mouse is exposed at a particular time to BPA, it may or may not affect her fetuses. It's not easy to determine cause and effect...the effect may not manifest til the mice is an adult. The effect, it has been seen, can ripple through at least 3 generations. We saw that with DES, similar to BPA, which some women took during pregnancy decades ago, and their daughters ended up with ovarian cancer. Both breast and prostate cancer are linked to BPA exposure, at least in the studies with mice.

I've called our local starbucks about putting recycle bin outside for the glass drinks, such as the Izzi carbonated beverages which is usually what I'd be getting since I don't drink coffee. They said it was too much trouble to do that. The local stores are operating on automatic; they need to get t heir orders from above. Someone with common sense needs to take over at starbucks main corporate office. There are many simple affordable changes that they can make within a month that would turn things around. Thanks for the article. And bravo to the employee for sharing this with your readers.

I purchase just about everthing to wear from second hand sources: Goodwill, and a Goodwill "discount" shop that sells clothes by the pound super cheap...ex. blue linen long sleeve shirt was 49 cents. I rely on GW, Craig's list, garage sales, friends' trading/giving away old clothes etc. Recently bought a Kenmore washer that was 5 years old for 100 dollars from a person who advertised on Craig's list.. Washes great; spins very well. The best current spot for me to "shop" has been at the mini landfill that services our community. They put in a concrete slab, added a carport type cover, and users can drop off whatever we don't want, couches, appliances etc.. I've found a nearly new, white double enamel sink that will go in our community garden for washing veggies. This was a great find. No yellowing or stains either. Also recently found 2 bird feeders, old yes, but with glass not plastic tubes that the seeds go in. I keep a neighbor's granddaughter on Wednesdays so she and I repainted the top of one of the feeders and it now looks so good, nearly new. BTW I don't actively go out looking for stuff,, but as I drive around getting to appointments, running errounds, or to dump off household trash and receycling, I will run over to the county's free spot and check it out. I found a great foldup handmade pine table recently. My curb pickings recently include a cute new stainless steel bucket, and several plant pots of all sizes, including the chain hangers, some clay most plastic and old but still useable. Once you have this consciousness instilled in you, it just seems like you'll begin to find more stuff if you want to.

We all know that there's a cost for everything. An exchange. Those that created the plastic world we inherited may or may not have considered that. Until those who are in the business of inventing and selling products for mankind are motivated by higher reasons than profit, we are doomed (perhaps) to repeat discoveries that what we thought was safe for life isn't. Chessplayers think many moves in advance. We need to insist that innovators do that as well. This fungus could start as a blessing and end up as a curse, as others have mentioned. In the natural world problems and solutions live side by side. I just don't know about the plastic world.

Wonderful post! For skincare, I rotate what I put on my skin, including face. Sometimes coconut oil which feels cooling esp. in summer. Sesame seed oil is great also, and according to Annie B. Bond in her book Better Basics for the Home sesame seed has some natural sunscreen properties.(lots of good recipes in her book...for body care etc) I use sesame oil pretty much always in spring and summer. As the weather gets colder and winter sets in, I prefer thicker olive oil. A little goes a long way, I rub upwards inwards towards the heart when applying it. I use organic food grade oils, rather than what they sell at our health food store's cosmetic aisle. And, the food grade oils are generally less expensive. Skin is the body's largest organ and I love feeding it wholesome oils. For hair color, I've used henna and it's great. When I've used it I usually blend 2 or 3 different colors to add depth and so it doesn't look so stark and one color. Of course, the areas that are grey will be a different shade of say, brown, t han the areas that aren't grey yet. I believe there are some nasties in conventional type hair colors that have been linked with cancers.